Pumpkin Bars

This is a classic Pumpkin bar recipe.
I mixed it up a little bit by adding a teaspoon of cinnamon in the frosting.
I also added below the recipe, ways you can make this pumpkin dessert lower in fat.
This recipe makes a whole cookie sheet worth of yummy pumpkin bars, so it is a great party dessert! It is always a crowd pleaser.
Enjoy!


Pumpkin Bars
adapted from Paula Dean

Bars:

• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
  
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

• 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 1cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

3. To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and cinnamon mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

4. Cut into bars and serve!

LOW-FAT Options:
-replace half the oil with applesauce
-replaced 2 eggs with fat-free egg substitute
-use splenda sugar blend in place of part of the sugar
- use neufchatel cheese instead of cream cheese
-or instead of frosting use 1/2 cup of Dark Chocolate chips add a spoonfull of fat-free whipped topping